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Fleet Insider

Top Drivers
Clyde Matthews of Sapulpa, Okla., is Texas Star Express’ 2004 Owner-Operator of the Year. Leonard Brown of Panola, Texas, is the 2004 Company Driver of the Year.

Drivers of the Year
The 2004 Millis Transfer Driver of the Year is Norman Livengood of Desoto, Mo.

Robert Rushing of Fort Gaines, Ga., is the 2004 Regional Driver of the Year. James Petty of Calhoun, Ga., is the 2004 Dedicated Driver of the Year.

Millis Transfer announced these titles, added drivers to its Million Mile Club and passed out more than $1.1 million in safety bonuses at a banquet at the Quilted Bear in Germantown, Wis., March 19, 2005.

More than 360 drivers with at least one year of safe driving at Millis were honored.

South Carolina Driver and Fleet Awards
James Smith, a Roadway Express driver from Greenville, S.C., was named the 2004 South Carolina Driver of the Year by the South Carolina Trucking Association.

Bunch Transport, based in Charleston, S.C., was named the safest fleet. Bunch served 48 states and ran 3 million miles in South Carolina in 2004 but still had the lowest accident frequency rate out of all the South Carolina fleets considered for the award.

Superior Transportation was named Most Improved for its accident reduction efforts.

2 Million Miles
Christenson Transportation gave its first 2 Million Mile Award for continuous service to husband and wife owner-operator team Paul and Liz Jordan of Grenola, Kan. They were the first owner-operators to join Christenson Transportation in 1996. They received a fully loaded Dell laptop computer with scanner and their names inscribed on the first 2 Million Mile plaque that will be displayed in the lobby of the corporate headquarters.

Owner-operator pay will increase from 84 cents per mile to 86 cents per mile, and contractors will be in a fuel surcharge program that pays on all miles, base plates and permits, fuel and use taxes; makes them part of a national tire account; and provides health, dental and short-term disability insurance. They also will not be dispatched on runs to New York City or Canada.

Solo company drivers can now earn up to 40 cents per mile, and company teams can now earn up to 46 cents per mile, depending on level of experience.

The package now has a safety bonus pool of more than $850,000, lane mileage pay has been increased 11 percent, and route and circuitous pay has been increased 33 percent.

Dawes also increased direct drop pay by 50 percent for weight categories less than 10,000 pounds and reduced the backhaul fees for selected lanes.

Dawes is currently developing a (401)K plan for independent contractors.

Melton: Starting this month, all Melton Truck Lines drivers will receive a 3-cent-per-mile increase in compensation.

The raise will be spread over May, June and July and should give drivers an annual boost of more than $3,500 per year.

By the end of July, Melton’s top company driver will be making 47 cents per mile – including the $40 tarp pay and 1-cent-per-mile safety bonus.

Transcarriers: Memphis, Tenn.-based Transcarriers Inc. recently announced the largest pay increase in its history. Company drivers starting range jumped from 30-33 cents per mile to 33-36 cents per mile. Owner-operators pay rates were increased to 86 cents per mile and 100 percent of the fuel surcharge.

Arnold Awards
Arnold Transportation recently honored 66 drivers who achieved at least two years of 100 percent on-time service. The award-winning drivers received a bonus check from management at an awards luncheon.

Prime Drivers
Prime Inc. announced its 2004 Contractors of the Year awards. The company names one driver from each of its three divisions – flatbed, tanker and refrigerated – as well as an overall top team and individual driver.

The flatbed division Contractor of the Year is Archie McCourt, who has been with Prime Inc. for 11 years.

The tanker division Contractor of the Year is Veranda Wilcox-Hall, who has been with Prime for 15 years.

The refrigerated division Contractor of the Year is Russell Antes.

David and Barbara Call were named the Driver Team of the Year, and Herman Knight was honored as the Individual Contractor of 2004. The Calls have five and a half years of driving experience, while Knight has more than 28 years.

Safety Award
Warren Transport earned first place at the Missouri Motor Carriers Association truck fleet safety contest as the safest operating carrier in its division and in the state during the 2004 year.

The contest honors the carrier with the fewest accidents per million miles traveled. Warren Transport drove more than 1 million accident-free miles in Missouri during the year.

CFI Drivers of the Month
Wayne Herrington of Joplin, Mo., is the CFI February 2005 Company Driver of the Month. Herrington, of Ft. Smith, Ark., started driving with CFI in 1994.

DeVerne Hunt and Carole Smith are the Company Team of the Month. Both live in Joplin, Mo. They began driving for CFI in 1992.

Lawrence Ogle, of Floresville, Texas, is the Contractor Driver of the Month. He began driving for CFI in 2002.

Jose and Carlos Baca, both from Eagle Pass, Texas, make up the Contractor Team of the Month.

Each driver and team is automatically nominated for the 2005 year-end award in their respective category.